Rustin Man: Drift Code review – pastoral pop with a beautiful patina
The former Talk Talk man’s weathered voice adds warmth to folk-informed songs that exist in a tradition of their own - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarFederico Colli: JS Bach/Busoni CD review – natural fluency and thoughtfulness
Playing on a modern Steinway, the Italian pianist invests Bach’s keyboard works with vitality and a memorable soft-edged inwardness - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarBill Ryder-Jones: Yawn review – emotion, elation and effortless intimacy
The tunes seem to spill out of Bill Ryder-Jones, leavening his stark arrangements and mordant lyrics to envelop listeners - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSidney Gish: No Dogs Allowed review – mordant, charming indie pop
The young Bostonian’s funny, breezy songs tackle self-obsession with a scathing wit - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarThe Unthanks: Lines review – national treasures sing Emily Brontë and Maxine Peake
(Rabble Rouser) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarTheon Cross: Fyah review – extraordinary tuba sounds
(Gearbox) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarChaka Khan: Hello Happiness review – a consistent sizzler
(Diary) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarLadytron: Ladytron review – electroclash stomp of intent
The Liverpool band – now based all over the world – return with a synth stomp of protest at our times - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarCassie Kinoshi's SEED Ensemble: Driftglass review – young jazz from old souls
Composer Kinoshi is at home with a 10-piece ensemble of young talent, fusing African, Caribbean, dance grooves and 60s Blue Note - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarMike Westbrook Orchestra: Catania review – some enchanted evenings
(Westbrook) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarMercury Rev: Bobbie Gentry’s The Delta Sweete Revisited review – cult-country covers comeback
(Bella Union) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarCass McCombs: Tip of the Sphere review – an enigma wrapped in a wayfarer
California maverick Cass McCombs evolves from gnomic troubadour to musical seeker of truth on his engrossing ninth studio album - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarAriana Grande: Thank U, Next review – a break-up album of wit and wonder
Just six months after acclaimed album Sweetener, Grande further unpicks her recent emotional devastation – and finally finds her own voice - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarBrìghde Chaimbeul: The Reeling review – ancient Gaelic drones
Chaimbeul’s album sounds like nothing else, bringing traditional instruments and techniques into the 21st century - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarFranz Liszt: Sardanapalo, Mazeppa review – lost opera of glittering scope
Musicologist David Trippet skilfully reconstructs a Liszt opera fragment, illustrating the composer’s fertile musical mind - Erica Jeal
starstarstarstarstarAJ Tracey – AJ Tracey review: confident debut by cheeky chap of British rap
The west Londoner’s lyrics are a blur of Vegas hotels and high-end cars – but laced with witty asides about Lenny Henry - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarBassekou Kouyate: Miri review – a politically serious but uplifting return to acoustic roots
(Outhere) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarFredo: Third Avenue review – honest, gritty debut album
(RCA) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarAngel Bat Dawid: The Oracle review – reverb-drenched messages from an afterlife
Informed by opera and jazz, the clarinettist and composer’s first release has a futuristic, spectral quality - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarIan Brown: Ripples review – a beguiling, anthemic return
The Stone Roses’ frontman’s idiosyncrasy is tempered by dreaminess on this self-produced album - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarLiszt: Années de Pèlerinage, Troisième Année review – exemplary command and colour
CédricTiberghien’s selection of later works is thoughtful and he never flaunts his total control of the challenges - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarRat Boy: Internationally Unknown review – a big step up
(Parlophone) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarWilliam Tyler: Goes West review – expansive, meditative Americana
(Merge) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJazz Goes Mod review – choice cuts from early 60s Soho
(Rhythm and Blues) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarSalif Keita: Un Autre Blanc review – a retirement gift from a singular voice
Keita’s final album features everyone from Angélique Kidjo to Alpha Blondy, but it’s his vocals that stand out - Robin Denselow
starstarstarstarstarBerlioz: Harold in Italy, Les Nuits d’Été review – Roth's piquant period performance
This historically accurate performance is truly convincing, adding transparency and emotion to Berlioz - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarDAWN: New Breed review – singular R&B innovator claims her dues
The New Orleans musician draws influences from that city, pop, funk, sci-fi and Afro-surrealism, yet sounds effortless - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarSharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow review – a consummate surgeon of relationships
(Jagjaguwar) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarLeyla McCalla: Capitalist Blues review – pushing boundaries in New Orleans
(Jazz Village) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarThe Twilight Sad: It Won't Be Like This All the Time review – epic, impassioned post-punk
The timeless, high-quality songs on the Scottish band’s fifth album must extend their fanbase - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarToro Y Moi: Outer Peace review – chillwave maven finds focused future funk
Chaz Bundick moves on from the hazy jams to produce his strongest record in years - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarMark Lockheart: Days on Earth review – brightest recording of a glittering career
Lockheart hitches a jazz group to a classical orchestra for this fine, ambitious recording - John Fordham
starstarstarstarstarJames Blake: Assume Form review – lovestruck producer turns dark into light
Blake is clearly in a good place, unexpectedly embedded at the centre of pop culture, and his new album adds bright colours to his sound - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarMare Nostrum: Mare Nostrum III review – a perfect hybrid from Fresu, Galliano and Lundgren
(ACT) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarYou Tell Me: You Tell Me review – eclectic delights and countless pleasures
Familiar forms bent into new shape sums up this appealingly innovative and approachable album - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarGnash: We review – catchy pop-rap with angst that's sweet, not downbeat
Songs of failed love acknowledged in relatable, nerdy vocals, with big tunes and lyrical insights - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarRichard Youngs: Memory Ain't No Decay review – into the edgelands with a musical gem
Exploring a place between the urban and the rural, this is a short, stunning release by a musician who is a bright silver thread through British music - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarSharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow review – assured, gorgeous electro-tinged progression
Van Etten’s decision to shift to electronic instruments only adds to the thrill on this arresting album - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarDeerhunter: Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? review – beautiful and strange desert drama
Recorded in rural Texas, this atmospheric album switches from psych-pop to alt-rock to experimental lo-fi, held together by Bradford Cox’s drawl - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstar21 Savage: I Am > I Was review – girls, guns and introspective angst
The Atlanta rapper’s latest album is dominated by a rueful reflections on the street violence that has featured prominently in his life - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarJulia Kent: Temporal review – pleasantly disorienting cello
The latest solo venture from the Antony and the Johnsons member transforms music penned for ballets and film soundtracks into standalone pieces - John Lewis
starstarstarstarstarMessa per Rossini CD review – Chailly gives this historical curiosity drama and authority
Riccardo Chailly and Teatro alla Scala resurrect a stirring, though uneven tribute by Verdi and his contemporaries - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarBad Bunny: X 100PRE review – off-kilter debut from Puerto Rican powerhouse
The vocalist’s surprise debut album reveals an artist joining the mainstream – and defying it with dizzying innovations - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarThe Willows: Through the Wild review – polished Anglo-Americana folk
(Elk Records) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarBen LaMar Gay: Downtown Castles Can Never Block the Sun review – immersive jazz innovator
Working with funk, jazz and synth collaborators adds rich depths to the work of this musical polymath - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarThe Chills: Snow Bound review – a rare, joyous equal to past triumphs
Only the sixth album for New Zealand pioneers shows leader Martin Phillipps still sounds in love with the world - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarRezzett: Rezzett review – distressed dancefloor classics
The anonymous dance music duo’s powerful debut full-length shreds a seemingly pristine digital surface - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarKali Uchis: Isolation review – head-in-the-clouds pop and savage reality
Rich and self-assured, the juxtaposition between sweet sounds and bleak subjects lifts Uchis’s album above the crowd - Rachel Aroesti
starstarstarstarstarJivin’ Miss Daisy: Whoop-De-Doo Songs review – a fun night in
(JMD) - Dave Gelly
starstarstarstarstarBruce Springsteen: Springsteen on Broadway; Paul McCartney at Liverpool Echo Arena – reviews
Two musical veterans take stock after half a century, with self-reflection and serious back catalogues - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarAidan Moffat & RM Hubbert: Ghost Stories for Christmas review – the dark heart of the season
Tapping in to Christmas realities, loneliness and ageing, Moffat and Hubbert’s pensive songs are strangely uplifting - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarChopin: Scherzos and Ballades review – restored to uncompromising glory
Huvé’s recordings on meticulously restored 19th-century instruments have been reissued – it’s a rare and fascinating thing - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarVan Morrison: The Prophet Speaks review – the creativity keeps coming
(Caroline) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarLadytron: Ladytron review – a distinctive sound in search of hooks
(!K7) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarAriana Grande: Thank U, Next review – a lodestar for how complicated life can be
In the wake of huge traumas, Ariana Grande has pumped out the hits, challenged the pop machine – and now releases an album she rustled up in two weeks - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarMethyl Ethel: Triage review – hipster psych-pop strains for effect
Jake Webb’s band lean toward Tame Impala’s baked funk, with solid, catchy melodies – but it doesn’t grab the soul - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarChaka Khan: Hello Happiness review – funk legend gets vogueish update
Her first album in over a decade works best when Khan’s rip-roaring diva-ness is front and centre - Michael Cragg
starstarstarstarstarBruch: Die Loreley review – forgotten Rhine maiden makes it on to disc
The second of Bruch’s three operas is an example of the byways of 19th-century Romanticism - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarAJ Tracey: AJ Tracey review – too adaptable by half
(AJ Tracey) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJessica Pratt: Quiet Signs review – muted mystery that beguiles
(City Slang) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarPanda Bear: Buoys review – indie experimenter finds the slow lane
The Animal Collective man’s sixth solo album is full of trademark quirks and it’s undeniably clever, if slightly monotonous - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarJessica Pratt: Quiet Signs review – beguiling songs of simplicity and space
The LA musician has beefed up her acoustic sound but lost nothing of her ethereal qualities on this magical album - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarMercury Rev: Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited review – fun but overdone
Gathering singers including Hope Sandoval, Phoebe Bridgers and Beth Orton, Mercury Rev up the ante on this upending of Gentry’s masterpiece - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarIan Brown: Ripples review – studded with surprises
(Virgin EMI) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarGirlpool: What Chaos Is Imaginary review – unadventurous alt-rock
(Anti) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarBeirut: Gallipolli review – Pinterest-friendly world indie
Zach Condon’s voice is as lovely as ever, on tracks soothingly yet dismayingly similar to past albums - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarThe Specials: Encore review – a chequered mix
Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and Horace Panter are best when sounding both anthemic and doom-laden - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarRudimental: Toast to Our Differences review – a big grab bag of party tunes
(Atlantic) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarThe Streets review – the agony and ecstasy of a great everyman
O2 Academy, LeedsA dislocated shoulder can’t stop Mike Skinner pushing the Streets forward. And new material suggests he’s far from a spent force - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarBetter Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center review – indie power combo
Phoebe Bridgers joins with Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes for some hushed, literate songwriting and bursts of crunching guitar - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarBackstreet Boys: DNA review – canny pop that fizzes with nostalgia
The band shamelessly plunder contemporary pop for a well-manicured sound designed to top the charts - Kate Hutchinson
starstarstarstarstarBring Me the Horizon: Amo review – 'It ain't heavy metal, but that's alright'
Some of the songs will alienate BMtH’s fanbase but there’s a sense of experimentation alongside the lush orchestration - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarRudimental: Toast to Our Differences review – built-by-committee dance pop euphoria
The Hackney quartet reaps the benefits of being on a major label in terms of guests, from Yebba to Anne-Marie, but this album feels factory-like - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarDodie: Human review – YouTube star plays it safe
(Dodie) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarJames Blake: Assume Form review – a big, glitchy, swooning, hyper-modern declaration of love
A love letter to his partner brimming with guest spots and west-coast vibes, James Blake’s fourth LP is a long way from his ‘blubstep’ roots - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarJuliana Hatfield: Weird review – wry alt-rock storyteller shines anew
She may have been making records since the 1990s but her endearing awkwardness and forever-young voice remain ebullient - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarSibelius: The Seven Symphonies CD review – Järvi can't quite convince
Paavo Järvi brings deep knowledge and affinity to this music, but the results don’t generate the thrills they should - Andrew Clements
starstarstarstarstarLorelle Meets the Obsolete: De Facto review – Mexican psych with melodies
(Sonic Cathedral) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarYou Tell Me: You Tell Me review – a bright new prog-folk friendship
(Memphis Industries) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarSteve Gunn: The Unseen in Between review – Americana with British roots
(Matador) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarVishtèn: Horizons review – searching and energising Acadian folk
The Canadian trio’s sixth album is an often irresistible melodic exploration - Jude Rogers
starstarstarstarstarNili Hadida: Nili Hadida review – soft, minimalist soul-pop
The Paris-based singer’s solo debut embraces confessional vocals over gentle electronics - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarZayn: Icarus Falls review – defies expectations
(RCA) - Tara Joshi
starstarstarstarstarRosali: Trouble Anyway review – surprising, beguiling depths
(Scissor Tail/Spinster) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarJessie J: This Christmas Day review – bigger-is-better seasonal fare aiming for world domination
She’s won a TV singing competition watched by millions in China: now Jessie J is ramping Christmas up to 11 - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarJohn Legend: A Legendary Christmas review – tasteful covers need a tot of sherry
Its classy backings, star guests and deep cuts avoid tackiness, but Legend should have got out the tinsel and loosened up -
starstarstarstarstarThe Monkees: Christmas Party review – festive mishmash best when guests chime in
A bit of a hodgepodge, this, with the guests providing the jingle bells - Michael Hann
starstarstarstarstarJacob Collier: Djesse Vol 1 review – undoubted but intermittent magic
(Hajanga/Decca/Geffen) - Neil Spencer
starstarstarstarstarFlorida Georgia Line: Can't Say I Ain't Country review – bro diddly-squat
Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard pay lip service to modernity in shopping-mall-feel country pop that is industrially catchy - Dave Simpson
starstarstarstarstarAvril Lavigne: Head Above Water review – Sk8er girl on thin ice
She sold millions as a teenager, but now the Canadian is nude on her album cover to prove she is a serious singer-songwriter - Alexis Petridis
starstarstarstarstarCosey Fanni Tutti: Tutti review – industrial pioneer slogs on
The avant-garde veteran’s first solo album since 1982 is vivid and well-designed but relentless - Ben Beaumont-Thomas
starstarstarstarstarCherry Glazerr: Stuffed & Ready review – mired in misery
There’s not enough contrast on the LA band’s album of intensely felt songs about everything from not fitting in to toxic masculinity - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarMaggie Rogers: Heard It in a Past Life review – Pharrell-endorsed alt-R&B
(Polydor) - Emily Mackay
starstarstarstarstarMaggie Rogers: Heard It in a Past Life review – Alaska hitmaker's debut lacks edge
The viral hit with which Rogers lit up the internet, Alaska, sucks the energy out of the other songs on a disappointing debut album - Elle Hunt
starstarstarstarstarKodak Black: Dying to Live review – preachy rapper hits a dead end
The Florida rapper’s second album delivers some infectious beats but his moralising misfires badly - Ammar Kalia
starstarstarstarstarThe CIA: The CIA review – the year’s sixth best Ty Segall album
(In the Red) - Phil Mongredien
starstarstarstarstarXXXTentacion: Skins review – genre-shredding to the last
(Empire) - Kitty Empire
starstarstarstarstarThe Chainsmokers: Sick Boy review – a torrent of spew-inducing self-pity
The EDM bros’ album, mainly about the terrible struggles of being an unfathomably rich man, makes for a predictably tedious listening - Laura Snapes
starstarstarstarstarLP: Heart to Mouth review – appalling power pop
(BMG) - Damien Morris
starstarstarstarstarEric Clapton: Happy Xmas review – the ghost of Christmas songs past
This effects-heavy standards album is baffling: it never heats up, festively speaking - Laura Snapes
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